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The  Spark  of  Life 


The  Edivard  Bok  Books  of  Self- 
Knowledge  for  Young  People 

and  Parents 
Edited  by  EDWARD  BOK 

The  constant  aim  of  this  graded  series  is  to 
be  anticipatory.  Each  separate  treatise  is  con- 
cise, lucid,  never  suggestive  beyond  the  age 
limit.  Each,  limp  cloth,  net  25  cents. 

FOR  PARENTS 

/.     How  Shall  I  Tell  My    Child?     A    Little 
Book  for  Parents  by  Mrs.  Woodallen  Chapman. 

FOR  BOYS 

2.  When   a   Boy   Becomes  a  Man.     A  Little 
Book  for  Boys  by  H.  Bisseker,  M.  A. 

FOR  YOUNG  MEN 

3.  Instead  of  Wild  Oats.     A  Little  Book  for 
the  Youth  of  Eighteen  and  Over,  by  Winfield 
Scott  Hall,  M.  D. 

FOR  YOUNG  CHILDREN 

4.  The   Spark  of  Life.     The    Story  of  How 
Living  Things  Came  Into  the  World.     As  Told 
for  Boys  and  Girls,  by  Margaret  W.  Morley. 

FOR  GIRLS 

5.  The  Changing  Girl.     A  Little  Book  for  the 
Girl  of  Ten  to  Fifteen,  by  Caroline   Latimer, 
M.  D.,  M.  A. 


THE  EDWARD  BOK  BOOKS 

Of  Self-Knowledge  for  Parents  and  Young  People 
Of  Which  This  Is  Number  Four 


The  Spark  of  Life 

The    Story  of  How  Living 
Things  Come  Into  the  World 

As  Told  For  Girls  And  Boys 


By 
MARGARET  W.  MORLEY 

Author  of  "The  Song  of  Life"  etc. 

With  a  Foreword 
BY   EDWARD    BOK 

Editor  of  the  Ladies'  Home  Journal 


NEW    YORK 


CHICAGO 


TORONTO 


Fleming     H.     Revell     Company 


LONDON 


EDINBURGH 


Copyright,   1913,  by 
FLEMING  H.   REVELL  COMPANY 


New  York:  158  Fifth  Avenue 
Chicago:  125  North  Wabash  Ave. 
Toronto:  25  Richmond  Street,  W. 
London:  21  Paternoster  Square 
Edinburgh:  100  Princes  Street 


Contents 

A  FOREWORD    .....  7 

I.  THE  AMAZING  WORLD  OF  SEEDS  .          .  9 

II.  THE  STORY  OF  THE  FLOWERS       .          .  12 

III.  WHY    WHITE    SWEET    PEAS     BECOME 

PURPLE         .          .          .          .  17 

IV.  WHY    PUMPKINS    Do    NOT    GROW  ON 

ROSE-BUSHES         ....  25 

V.  WHY  THE   BUTTERFLY  LAYS   ITS  EGGS 

ON  A  LEAF  .          .          .          .  3 1 

VI.  How  FISH  LAY  THEIR  EGGS  IN  WATER  39 

VII.  WHY  BIRDS  GROW  INSIDE  OF  SHELLS    .  43 

VIII.  How     PRIZE     CHICKENS    AND    FANCY 

PIGEONS  ARE  BROUGHT  ABOUT         .  51 

IX.  How  KITTENS  START  FROM  EGGS         .  55 


263703 

[5] 


A  Foreword 

NO  parent  can  truthfully  say  again  : 
"  No  one  has  ever  told  the  story  of 
life  simple  enough  for  a  child  to  un- 
derstand. "  For  here  it  is, — told  as  simply  and 
beautifully  as  I  have  ever  seen  it  told  any- 
where. It  is  astonishing  how  easily  the  author 
takes  us  through  the  wide  sweep  of  worlds 
that  she  does :  the  world  of  flowers,  of  vege- 
tables, of  insects,  of  birds,  of  fish,  of  animals, 
and  at  not  a  single  point  does  the  interest  lag 
or  does  the  beauty  of  the  wonderful  story 
lessen.  The  value  of  the  little  book  is,  too, 
that  it  may  be  read  by  the  parent,  and  from 
memory  told  the  child,  or  read  to  the  child,, 
or  read  by  the  child  itself.  To  either  method 
does  it  lend  itself ;  to  one  as  readily  as  to  the 
other.  It  never  gets  "  above  the  head  "  of  the 
child,  as  we  say  ;  or  does  it  drop  beneath  the 
interest  of  the  elder. 

Miss  Morley  has  in  "The  Spark  of  Life" 
really  written  a  model  little  book  of  its  kind, 
and  one  that  is  not  unlikely  to  be  regarded  as 
the  standard  little  work  in  its  class. 

EDWAED  BOK. 

Philadelphia, 

January,  1913. 

[7] 


THE  AMAZING  WORLD  OF  SEEDS 

SEEDS,  seeds  !    Everywhere  we  look  we 
find  the  seeds. 
Here  is  a  bright  red  apple.     We  cut 
it  open,  and  there  in  the  middle  is  the  core — a 
tough  little  box  filled  with  seeds — little  black 
apple  seeds. 

Here  is  a  golden  pear.  How  good  it  smells  ! 
Cut  it  open  and  there  is  the  core  filled  with 
pear  seeds.  And  in  the  core  of  the  quince  we 
find  of  course  quince  seeds. 

We  open  a  peach,  and  we  find  a  core  as  hard 
as  wood.  We  call  it  the  pit  or  stone,  and  in- 
side the  peach  pit  is  one  peach  seed.  Here  is 
a  handful  of  ripe  plums.  In  the  middle  of 
each  is  the  plum  pit  with  the  seed  inside. 
When  cherries  are  ripe  we  throw  the  cherry 
stones  on  the  ground,  each  with  its  seed  safe 
inside. 

The  tough  cores  and  the  hard  pits  hold  the 
seeds  in  safe-keeping.  For  the  seeds  are  im- 
portant. They  are  alive.  They  are  the  eggs 
of  the  plants,  and  if  they  get  a  chance  they 
will  hatch  out — sprout  we  call  it — into  tiny 
plants  that  grow  and  grow  and  in  time  bear 
flowers  and  seeds. 

[9] 


The  Spark  of  Life 


Open  a  bean  pod — beans,  that  is  to  say,  seeds, 
are  inside.  And  it  is  the  same  with  the  pea 
pod ;  when  we  open  it  we  find  the  peas  which 
are  the  seeds  of  the  pea  vine. 

There  are  the  tiny  dandelion  seeds  sailing 
about  like  little  air-ships.  They  do  not  grow 
in  pods.  You  blow  them  off  the  top  of  the 
stem  when  they  are  ripe,  and  away  they  sail, 
for  each  little  seed  has  a  pretty  parasol  over 
its  head  that  the  wind  strikes  and  so  blows  it 
along.  Lettuce  seeds  sail  in  the  same  way, 
and  in  the  summer  and  autumn  you  will  find  a 
great  many  other  kinds  of  seeds  sailing  about. 
Sometimes  the  air  is  full  of  them,  some  quite 
big,  and  some  very  small.  The  wind  blows 
them  far  and  wide.  Down  from  the  maple 
tree  whirl  the  pretty  keys — and  what  are  these 
but  seeds  with  wings?  The  seed  of  the  elm 
tree  also  has  its  wings,  and  the  wind  whirls 
them  away. 

You  think  a  nut  is  just  a  nut.  It  really  is 
a  seed.  The  hard  shell  protects  the  soft  seed 
inside.  When  we  eat  a  nut  we  eat  a  seed, 
which  is  just  a  young  little  nut  tree.  Every 
time  we  eat  a  chestnut  we  eat  a  very  tiny 
chestnut  tree.  Every  time  we  eat  a  peanut, 
we  eat  a  little  peanut  vine. 

When  we  eat  the  sweet  corn  from  the  cob 
we  are  eating  corn  seeds,  for  each  kernel  is  a 
seed.  And  corn  bread  is  made  of  the  ripe 
[10] 


The  Amazing  World  of  Seeds 

seeds  of  the  corn.  A  grain  of  wheat  is  also  a 
seed.  The  ;rice  grain  is  a  seed.  Oats  are 
seeds.  All  the  grains  we  use  are  seeds. 

If  you  want  a  flower  garden  you  plant  flower 
seeds.  Morning-glory  seeds  grow  on  the  morn- 
ing-glory vines,  and  nasturtium  seeds  come 
from  the  nasturtium  plants,  and  pink  seeds 
from  pinks,  and  poppy  seeds  from  poppies. 


II 

THE  STORY  OF  THE  FLOWERS 

IF  a  seed  is  to  sprout,  it  must  be  kept  warm 
and  moist,  and  when  the  little  plant  starts 
to  grow  it  must  have  the  food  it  needs. 
For  plants  eat.  Every  living  thing  eats. 
Plants  have  mouths  in  their  tiny  rootlets  down 
in  the  ground  and  in  their  leaves.  They  must 
have  good  food  in  the  earth  for  their  roots  to 
eat. 

A  boy  named  Johnny  planted  his  seeds  in 
the  hard  and  stony  corner  by  the  front  steps. 
His  little  sister  Molly  planted  hers  in  a  corner 
of  the  garden.  Johnny's  seeds  scarcely 
sprouted.  Molly's  came  up  quickly.  Their 
father  said  :  ' '  Johnny,  your  seeds  are  starving, 
that  is  the  trouble.  They  need  better  food. " 
So  Johnny  planted  some  more  seeds  in  the 
garden  and  they  sprouted  well.  Soon  a  great 
many  little  green  plants  came  up  with  the 
young  flowers. 

' '  These, ' '  father  said,  * '  are  weeds  ;  you  must 
pull  them  up." 

But  Molly  said,  "They  are  such  pretty 
little  things  I  shall  leave  them." 

Johnny  pulled  the  weeds  out  of  his  garden 

[12] 


The  Story  of  the  Flowers 

as  fast  as  they  came  up,  but  Molly  let  hers 
alone. 

After  a  while  Johnny's  garden  was  full  of 
flowers.  The  plants  were  large  and  strong  and 
covered  with  bright  blossoms.  It  smelled 
sweet,  and  bees  on  gauzy  wings  buzzed  about 
and  gathered  honey  from  the  gay  flowers,  and 
butterflies  danced  over  them  and  tasted  the 
honey  from  their  pretty  cups. 

And  Molly's  garden  I  There  was  hardly  a 
flower  to  be  seen  in  hers.  The  weeds  had 
grown  faster  than  the  flowers  and  smothered 
them.  The  flowers  were  starved  because  the 
strong  weeds  had  taken  away  the  food  out  of 
the  ground.  They  looked  so  small  and  puny 
that  Molly  felt  like  crying  when  she  looked  at 
them.  "  I  thought  the  pretty  little  weeds  had 
as  good  a  right  to  grow  as  the  flowers, "  she 
said.  "  But  they  don't  play  fair.  They  take 
everything.  I  am  going  to  pull  them  up," 
and  she  caught  hold  of  a  big  one  and  gave  it  a 
jerk.  It  came  hard  but  it  came  at  last.  But 
with  it  came  ever  so  many  little  portulacas — 
they  were  no  bigger  across  than  a  penny 
although  Johnny's  portulacas  were  big,  and 
all  covered  with  gay  flowers.  Fourteen  little 
portulacas  came  up  with  the  roots  of  that  big 
weed  that  had  twined  all  among  their  little 
roots.  But  this  isn't  all.  Back  of  the  portu- 
laca  border  was  a  border  of  sweet  alyssum 

['3] 


The  Spark  of  Life 


and  six  of  them  came  up  too,  and  back  of  the 
sweet  alyssum  was  a  border  of  sweet  peas  and 
three  or  four  of  them  were  also  entangled  in 
the  roots  of  the  weed. 

"  It  is  worse  than  I  thought, "  said  Molly  in 
despair. 

"Go  slow  !"  said  father. 

So  Molly  pulled  the  next  weed  more  care- 
fully, but  by  the  time  she  got  the  weeds  all 
out  Johnny  said  her  garden  looked  moth-eaten. 
Only  about  half  of  her  plants  were  left  and  they 
were  tall,  weak-stemmed  things  with  few  leaves 
and  fewer  flowers — they  could  not  stand  alone, 
having  depended  so  long  upon  leaning  against 
the  weeds  that  were  devouring  them.  But  in 
time  they  looked  better,  although  Molly's 
garden  did  not  amount  to  much  that  season. 

"  Just  wait  till  next  year  !  "  said  Molly. 

"Meantime,  let  us  find  out  a  little  more 
about  how  plants  grow,77  said  the  children's 
father,  and  they  talked  about  it  a  great  deal. 
Molly  and  Johnny  were  astonished  to  find  that 
plants  are  really  very  particular  about  what 
they  eat.  That  one  kind  of  plant  for  instance 
grows  best  when  there  is  a  substance  called 
lime  in  the  earth,  while  another  kind  dies  if 
there  is  lime.  That  some  plants  thrive  best  in 
sandy  soil,  while  others  cannot  grow  in  the 
sand,  that  some  need  a  great  deal  of  moisture, 
while  others  can  live  only  where  it  is  very  dry. 
*  [14] 


The  Story  of  the  Flowers 

Apples  need  a  cold  climate,  oranges  cannot 
stand  frost ;  and  so  it  goes.  If  we  are  to  suc- 
ceed with  our  plants  we  must  know  what  kind 
of  soil  to  plant  them  in,  whether  they  like  a 
shady  place  or  a  sunny  place,  whether  they 
need  to  be  kept  moist  or  dry  or  hot  or  cold. 
And  since  they  breathe  we  must  give  them 
plenty  of  clean  air.  Plants  do  not  grow  well 
in  a  house  where  there  is  gas  or  smoke  in  the 
room.  Tobacco  smoke  will  kill  some  plants 
very  quickly. 

"  All  these  surroundings  of  the  plant," 
father  told  them,  "  the  food,  the  air,  the  light, 
the  temperature,  everything  that  influences  its 
growth,  we  call  by  one  word — environment. 
The  success  of  the  plant,"  he  added,  "  depends 
upon  its  environment.  If  the  plant  does  not 
do  well  we  say  there  is  something  wrong 
with  its  environment,  and  we  try  to  find  out 
where  the  trouble  is,  and  remedy  it  if  we 
can." 

Molly  wanted  to  know  if  caterpillars  and 
grasshoppers  and  snails  formed  a  part  of  the 
environment  of  a  plant.  "Yes,"  said  father, 
"  if  those  insects  swarm  in  a  region,  that  region 
forms  a  poor  environment  for  plants  to  grow 
in.  Anything  that  constantly  harms  or  des- 
troys makes  a  poor  environment.  A  good 
environment  is  a  place  where  everything  helps 
instead  of  hinders." 

* 


The  Spark  of  Life 


"  The  greenhouse  makes  a  good  environment 
for  our  geraniums/7  said  Molly. 

"  Yes,  and  a  snow-bank  would  be  a  mighty 
bad  environment  for  them,'7  answered  Johnny. 

"  Yet  .there  are  plants,"  said  father,  "  that 
live  under  the  snow  and  would  die  in  the 
greenhouse.77 


[16] 


Ill 

WHY  WHITE  SWEET  PEAS  BECOME 
PURPLE 

41  F  •  A  HEBE  is  something  very  important 
besides  environment  in  making  a 
JL  garden,"  father  said  one  summer 
day  when  the  children  were  getting  ready  to 
gather  their  flower  seeds.  "  Gather  only  the 
best  seeds  from  the  best  plants.  You  must 
select  your  seeds  with  care.  If  you  plant 
small,  weak  seeds,  you  will  be  likely  to  get 
small,  weak  plants.  Choose  your  seeds  from 
the  handsomest  and  best  flowers.7' 

"Yes,"  said  Molly,  "I  have  taken  all  my 
sweet  pea  seeds  from  those  lovely  deep  red 
ones.  I  like  them  best  and  next  year  I  shall 
have  a  long  row  of  them." 

"  I  have  gathered  seeds  from  the  white  sweet 
peas,"  said  Johnny,  "and  those  lilac  and  blue 
ones  that  mother  likes  so  much.  We  will  have 
a  fine"  garden  next  year.  Good  soil,  good  care, 
plenty  of  water,  no  weeds  and " 

"A  good  environment,"  interrupted  Molly. 

44  That's  right,"  said  father.  "A  good  en- 
vironment and  good  big,  strong  seeds;  what 
more' could  any  one  ask  *?  " 

But  next  summer  when  the  sweet  peas  bios- 
[V] 


The  Spark  of  Life 


somed  Molly  was  disappointed  because  her 
pea  vines  did  not  bear  red  flowers.  There 
were  some  red  flowers,  it  is  true,  but  many  that 
were  white,  or  pink  or  blue,  and  these  colours 
combined  in  the  same  flower. 

Johnny  was  no  better  off.  Although  he  was 
sure  he  had  gathered  seeds  from  only  the  white 
and  pale  blue  and  lavender  flowers,  his  vines 
blossomed  out  in  the  colours  of  all  the  sweet 
peas. 

"  What  can  you  do  if  you  plant  the  seeds  of 
red  flowers  and  they  bear  white  flowers?" 
Molly  asked  disconsolately. 

Father  shook  his  head.  "  There  must  be 
something  about  this  we  don't  understand,  "he 
said.  "  Let  us  see  if  we  can  get  the  flowers  to 
tell  us  their  secret.  It  is  in  the  flower  we  must 
look  for  the  seeds,  you  know,"  and  father 
carefully  opened  a  sweet  pea  blossom.  Sure 
enough,  in  the  centre  of  the  flower  was  a  tiny 
green  pod  with  the  merest  pin- heads  of  seeds  in 
it.  "  Those  little  seeds  are  each  fastened  to  the 
pod,  you  see,  by  a  little  stem,"  father  said, 
showing  them  how  it  was.  "It  is  through 
this  stem  that  the  blood  of  the  plant  or  the  sap, 
as  we  call  it,  comes  to  the  seed  to  nourish  it. 
It  grows  on  this  sap  until  it  is  ready  to  leave 
the  plant  and  start  growing  on  its  own  account. 
We  call  this  young  seed  the  ovule,  and  the  pod 
we  call  the  ovary." 

[18] 


Why  White  Peas  Become  Purple 

"Does  the  ovary  hold  the  ovule?"  asked 
Johnny. 

"It  does/7  said  father.  "Into  the  ovule, 
through  the  little  stem  that  fastens  it  to  the 
ovary,  comes  the  good  sap  to  nourish  the  seed. 

4  '  Then  the  ovule  grows.  It  becomes  a  per- 
fect pea,  ripe  and  ready  to  sprout.  But  besides 
nourishment  it  has  taken  something  else  from 
the  mother  plant.  It  has  taken  the  nature  of 
the  mother  plant.  When  it  grows  it  will  make 
a  plant  just  like  the  mother  plant,  the  same 
kind  of  stem  and  leaves  and  flowers.  Every 
sweet  pea  vine  seed  will  grow  into  a  sweet 
pea  vine.  Every  morning-glory  seed  will 
grow  into  a  morning-glory  vine,  every  apple 
seed  will  grow  into  an  apple  tree.  The  seeds 
never  make  a  mistake.  When  you  plant 
corn,  you  know  what  will  come  up.  When 
you  plant  marigold  seeds  in  your  garden  you 
are  sure  that  marigolds  will  grow  from  them. 
All  the  seeds  grow  into  plants  like  the  mother 
plant" 

"  That  is  because  the  seeds  are  the  children 
of  the  plants,  I  suppose,77  said  Molly,  "and 
children  must  be  like  their  parents.77 

"Yes,  but  why  did  my  white  sweet  pea  seeds 
have  purple  flowers'? 77  demanded  Johnny. 

"  Well,7  7  said  his  father,  "  now  that  we  have 
it  settled  that  sweet  pea  seeds  come  from  sweet 
pea  vines  and  grow  into  other  sweet  pea  vineSy 

[19] 


The  Spark  of  Life 


perhaps  we  can  find  out  why  the  sweet  peas 
are  not  all  alike,  but  first  we  must  understand 
a  little  more  about  heredity.  There  comes 
mother  ;  she  can  help  us.  Come,  mother,  we 
are  talking  about  heredity." 

Molly,  making  room  for  mother  at  her  side 
on  the  garden  bench,  gave  her  hand  a  little 
squeeze  as  she  cuddled  close  up  to  her  and 
asked : 

"  What  is  heredity  V 

"It  is  inheriting, 77  said  father,  "not  lands 
or  money,  but  your  looks  and  your  shape  and 
your  way  of  moving,  and  even  to  an  extent 
your  habits  and  way  of  thinking  from  your 
parents. " 

"That  is  why  I  inherit  blue  eyes  from 
mother,77  said  Johnny. 

"And  I  curly  hair  from  father,77  said 
Molly. 

"Yes,  but  you  inherit  something  better  than 
that  from  him,77  added  mother.  "A  good 
mind  and  a  kind  heart.77 

"  Well,"  said  father,  "if  that  is  so,  you  have 
a  double  inheritance  of  those  good  qualities, 
for  you  get  them  also  from  mother.77 

"  Well,  then,77  said  Johnny,  "Molly  and  I 
and  little  Tom  have  what  you  call  a  good 
heredity  and  a  good  environment.77 

"  Yes,77  replied  father,  "  I  think  you  have. 

"But  now  about  those  purple  peas.     Just 

[20] 


White  Peas  Become  Purple 


look  into  the  sweet  pea  blossom  and  see  the 
little  pockets  filled  with  flower  dust,  pollen  we 
call  it." 

"  Oh,  I  know  about  pollen,  77  said  Molly  — 
"  bees  gather  it  into  the  little  baskets  on  their 
hind  legs,  and  they  make  it  into  little  balls  by 
mixing  it  with  honey  and  they  carry  it  to 
the  hive  and  store  it  away  to  feed  the  baby 
bees.77 

"Yes,  it  is  the  bee-bread,77  said  Johnny, 
"  and  all  flowers  have  pollen.  I  know  how  it 
shakes  out  of  the  goldenrod  in  clouds.77 

"  Yes,  "  went  on  mother,  "  and  don7  1  you  re- 
member what  funny  brown  noses  you  got  from 
smelling  the  tiger  lilies'?  77 

"I  remember,'7  said  Molly,  "how  funny 
Tommy  looked  with  his  little  face,  nose,  cheeks 
and  forehead  smeared  over  with  brown  pollen.77 

"Do  you  remember  where  the  pollen  came 
from  ?  77  asked  father. 

"I  do,77  said  Molly;  "it  came  from  the 
anther  pockets  on  the  tips  of  the  long  slender 
stamens  that  reached  way  out  of  the  flower.77 

"  All  the  flowers  have  these  anther  pockets 
full  of  pollen,77  said  Johnny. 

"The  bees  take  the  pollen/7  added  mother, 
"but  the  pollen  was  not  made  for  the  bees, 
It  was  made  for  the  good  of  the  plant  itself.77 

"What  good  can  that  dust  do  the  plant?7' 
asked  Johnny. 

[21] 


The  Spark  of  Life 


"It  was  the  pollen  that  made  your  sweet 
peas  purple,"  father  answered. 

Johnny  opened  his  eyes  wide  at  this.  "It 
does  seem  strange,  doesn't  it,  yet  it  is  true,'7 
father  went  on.  "  If  you  were  to  look  at  the 
pollen  under  the  microscope  you  would  find  it 
made  up  of  tiny  grains,  like  little  seeds.  In  a 
way,  it  is  little  seeds." 

"  Can  we  plant  them  ?  "  asked  Molly. 

"  No,"  said  father  ;  "  they  cannot  grow  until 
they  have  entered  into  the  seed  and  become  a 
part  of  it. " 

"How  can  it  enter  into  the  seed?"  asked 
Johnny. 

"  Look  again  at  the  tiny  pod  in  the  heart  of 
the  flower.  You  see  that  it  ends  in  a  little 
sticky  point  called  the  stigma.  Now  when  a 
pollen  grain  touches  this  little  sticky  stigma 
it  is  held  fast,  and  soon  grows  down  into  the 
pod,  and  finds  its  way  into  an  opening  in  the 
little  ovule.  When  this  happens,  the  ovule 
begins  to  grow  into  a  perfect  seed.  Without 
the  pollen  the  ovule  could  not  grow.  Without 
the  ovule  the  pollen  grain  could  not  grow. 
Both  are  needed.  This  union  of  the  pollen 
with  the  ovule,"  said  father,  "  we  call  fertiliza- 
tion. If  the  ovule  is  not  fertilized  it  soon  with- 
ers and  dies. " 

"Does  the  pollen  inherit1?"  asked  Molly. 

"  Oh,  yes,   the  pollen  and  the  ovule  both 

[22] 


White  Peas  Become  Purple 


inherit.  If  the  pollen  and  the  ovule  both  came 
from  a  white  sweet  pea  what  kind  of  sweet  pea 
will  grow  from  that  seed  f  " 

"  Oh,  I  see/'  said  Johnny  ;  "  a  white  sweet 
pea  will  come,  but  if  the  pollen  came  from  a  red 
sweet  pea  to  the  ovule  of  a  white  sweet  pea,  we 
might  get  a  red  sweet  pea  seed  from  a  white 
pea  vine." 

"Now  you've  got  it,77  said  father.  "That 
is  all  there  is  to  it.  If  the  pollen  of  a  red  pea- 
unites  with  the  ovule  of  a  white  one,  then  the 
plant  that  grows  from  the  new  seed  may  bear 
flowers  that  inherit  the  red  colour  from  the 
pollen,  or  they  may  inherit  the  white  colour 
from  the  ovule." 

"  And  that  is  why  some  are  red  and  white," 
said  Johnny.  "The  seed  inherits  from  both 
parents.7' 

"  Just  so.'7  agreed  father. 

"Is  the  pod  with  the  seeds  the  mother,  and 
the  pollen  the  father?  "  asked  Molly. 

"  Yes,"  said  mother  ;  "  that  is  a  pretty  way 
to  think  of  it." 

"  Now,  how  does  the  pollen  from  a  red  flower 
get  to  the  stigma  of  a  white  one  ?  "  father 
wanted  to  know. 

The  children  thought  a  while.  Finally,, 
Johnny  asked,  "The  bees  *?  ' 

"Eight  again,"  said  father.  "When  the 
bees  go  from  flower  to  flower  they  touch  against 

[23] 


The  Spark    of  Life 


the  stigma  and  leave  some  of  the  pollen  grains 
that  have  clung  to  their  hairy  bodies. " 

"It  is  too  bad,"  said  Molly,  "for  the  bees 
to  mix  up  our  flowers  that  way.  We  ought  to 
put  a  net  over  them  to  keep  the  troublesome 
things  out. " 

"No,  no,  child,'7  laughed  mother  ;  "if  you 
did  that,  you  might  not  have  any  seeds  at  all.77 

"Why  not,  mother?  The  pollen  is  in  the 
flower  close  to  the  stigma.  Why  would  it  not 
shake  out  over  it  when  ripe  f  " 

"  For  a  very  good  reason.  The  flower  does 
not  want  its  own  pollen.  It  wants  the  pollen 
from  another  plant  and  so  the  stigma  is  hidden 
in  the  flower.  It  cannot  be  reached  until  a  bee 
alights  on  the  flower.  The  bee's  weight  presses 
down  the  part  where  the  stigma  is  hidden, 
until  the  stigma  comes  out  and  the  pollen  on 
the  bee  can  touch  it.77 

"I  should  like  to  see  that,77  said  Johnny. 

"Nothing  easier,77  answered  father.  "All 
you  need  do  is  to  watch  when  the  bees  come 
out  and  fly  about  the  sweet  pea  flowers  to  get 
their  breakfast." 

"Or,77  added  mother,  "you  can  press  the 
flower  apart  with  your  own  finger  and  see  the 
little  stamens  come  forth." 


IY 

WHY  PUMPKINS  DO  NOT  GROW  ON 
ROSE-BUSHES 

"  ^  "IT  THY  doesn't  the  flower  want  its 
\/\/  own  pollen  ?  "  asked  Johnny  after 
T  T  a  few  minutes. 

" There  is  a  fine  reason  for  that,"  said 
father.  "If  the  flower  is  constantly  self- 
fertilized,  as  we  say  when  it  takes  its  own 
pollen,  it  in  time  grows  weak  and  puny.  It 
needs  to  be  cross-fertilized,  that  is,  it  needs  to 
receive  the  pollen  from  some  other  plant,  to 
keep  it  strong." 

"Doesn't  any  flower  take  its  own  pollen ?  " 
asked  Molly  very  much  interested. 

"Oh,  yes,  a  great  many  flowers  take  their 
own  pollen,  but  still  they  are  often  cross- 
fertilized  by  the  insects,  and  there  are  a  great 
many  flowers  that  are  made  so  they  cannot  get 
their  own  pollen  and  but  for  their  insect  visitors 
would  never  be  able  to  mature  any  seeds. 
Sometimes  the  male  flowers  are  entirely  sepa- 
rate— even  grow  on  different  plants.  I  can 
show  you  a  maple  tree  that  bears  only  male 
flowers,  and  near  it  another  maple  tree  that 
bears  only  female  flowers.'' 

"Come  now,"    said  mother,   "and  I  will 

[25] 


The  Spark  of  Life 


show  you  something  right  away."  And  she 
led  them  to  the  cucumber  patch.  "  There, 
some  of  those  flowers  have  no  pistil  at  all. 
They  have  only  stamens.  We  call  them  stami- 
nate  or  male  flowers.  Some  others  that  have 
no  stamens  are  pistillate  or  female  flowers.  See 
who  will  first  discover  a  pistillate  flower." 

"  They  all  look  alike  to  me,"  said  Johnny. 

"  And  to  me,"  added  Molly,  regarding  with 
a  puzzled  look  the  little  yellow  flowers  that 
covered  the  cucumber  vines. 

Finally  Molly  exclaimed  :  "  Oh,  I  know  !?? 

At  this  Johnny  began  to  look  very  carefully. 
"  Oh,  gee  !  "  he  shouted  at  last,  u  it's  as  plain 
as  the  nose  on  your  face." 

"  Well,  now  how  is  it,  Molly?"  asked  mother. 

"  Why,  the  female  flowers  have  little  cu- 
cumbers below  them,  and  the  male  flowers 
have  not.  Isn't  that  right  1 " 

"The  little  cucumbers  are  the  ovaries  and 
they  are  full  of  seeds,"  added  Johnny. 

Father  smiled.  "  That  is  exactly  the  way 
it  is." 

"  Now  look  into  the  flower  that  has  the  little 
cucumber  below  it,"  said  mother,  "and  see  if 
you  can  find  any  stamens." 

"  No,"  said  Johnny  after  he  had  looked  into 
a  number  of  the  pistillate  flowers  ;  "  no  pollen 
here,  only  the  big  sticky  stigma." 

"But  there's  pollen  enough  in  the  flowers 
[26] 


Pumpkins  and  Rose-Bushes 

that  haven't  any  little  cucumber,"  Molly  an- 
nounced, for  she  had  been  looking  into  the 
starninate  flowers  ;  "  see,"  and  she  held  up  her 
finger  all  dusted  with  pollen. 

"Yes,"  said  father,  "so  you  see  the  bees 
are  rather  important  members  of  society. 
Without  them  to  carry  pollen  about  we  should 
have  no  cucumbers,  no  melons,  no  peas  or 
beans ;  indeed  we  should  miss  a  great  many 
fruits  and  flowers  but  for  the  industrious  bees 
and  other  insects.  The  way  they  fertilize  the 
flowers  is  a  very  beautiful  story  which  some 
day  you  will  want  to  know  a  great  deal  about." 

"When  we  buy  flower  seeds  they  come  up 
the  right  colours,"  said  Johnny  puzzled. 

"Yes,"  answered  his  father,  "I  was  waiting 
for  you  to  think  of  that.  Suppose  we  planted 
cucumber  seeds  and  when  they  came  up  and 
the  vines  blossomed  there  were  no  bees — what 
could  we  do  ?  " 

"Could  we  put  the  pollen  on  ourselves ?" 
asked  Molly. 

"  That  is  just  it,"  said  father  approvingly. 
"We  could  take  a  little  brush  and  rub  it 
against  the  pollen,  and  then  against  the  stigma, 
thus  fertilizing  the  flowers  ourselves.  So,  if 
you  want  white  sweet  pea  seeds,  the  way  to  do 
will  be  to  cover  a  few  white  blossoming  vines 
to  keep  the  bees  from  interfering,  and  with  a 
tiny  brush  collect  the  pollen  from  other  white 
[27] 


The  Spark  of  Life 


blossoms,  press  down  the  lower  part  of  the 
flower  of  the  covered  vine  as  the  bee  does,  and 
dust  the  stigma. " 

"  But  what  a  lot  of  work  ! 7 7  said  Johnny. 

"Yes,"  assented  father,  "and  that  is  why 
those  fine  selected  seeds  warranted  to  come 
true  to  their  colours  cost  so  much  more  than 
common  mixed  seeds.77 

"  You  should  gather  pollen  from  the  largest 
and  handsomest  flowers, "  said  Molly. 

"  Indeed  you  should,77  agreed  father. 

"  And  fertilize  only  the  stigmas  of  the  largest 
and  handsomest  flowers,77  added  Johnny. 

"  And  gather  only  the  largest  and  best  seeds 
when  they  are  ripe,77  added  Molly. 

"  And  give  your  plants  good  soil  and  plenty 
of  water, "  added  mother. 

'  *  Give  them  a  good  environment  and  a  first- 
class  heredity,77  concluded  Johnny  as  they  all 
went  in  to  supper. 

"  Father,77  asked  Johnny  next  day,  "  is  it 
by  fertiliziog  one  flower  with  another  that 
people  get  so  many  new  fruits  and  flowers? 77 

"Yes,  partly,77  said  father.  "  Some  of  our 
finest  grapes  for  instance  have  come  from  care- 
ful selection,  that  is,  fertilizing  or  breeding 
two  different  kinds  of  grapes  together.  And 
we  get  other  fruits  in  the  same  way — apples 
for  one  thing.  Making  new  kinds  of  fruits  or 
flowers  we  call  plant-breeding.  We  can  breed 

[28] 


Pumpkins  and  Rose-Bushes 

almost  any  kind  of  fruit  we  want  by  taking 
pains  enough  and  keeping  at  it  long  enough.'7 

"  Why  isn't  the  world  full  of  well-bred  fruits 
and  flowers  ?  "  asked  Molly. 

"  Because,"  said  father,  "  high  bred  plants 
take  a  good  deal  of  time  as  well  as  a  good  deal 
of  knowledge,  and  when  we  have  succeeded  in 
getting  something  worth  keeping  we  have  to 
watch  it  and  care  for  it,  or  it  will  revert  to  its 
original  form.  It  is  easier  to  go  down,  you 
know,  than  to  go  up.  If  you  neglect  your 
garden  even  one  summer  you  may  lose  the 
work  of  several  years. " 

u  But  if  everybody  attended  to  their  gardens 
and  had  only  well-bred  fruits  and  flowers, 
wouldn't  it  make  a  difference  f  "  asked  Johnny. 

"  Indeed  it  would.  If  everybody  worked  to 
keep  out  weeds  and  selected  only  the  best 
seeds  and  planted  them  everywhere  and  cared 
for  them,  then  everybody  could  have  the 
choicest  fruits  and  flowers.7' 

"I  am  going  to  fertilize  an  easter  lily  with 
the  pollen  of  a  red  rose  and  see  what  a  lovely 
flower  I  can  make,  '7  said  Molly  one  day. 

"]S"o,7J  said  father,  shaking  his  head,  "  you 
can't  do  that.  Just  think  how  everything 
would  be  all  mixed  up.  We  might  have 
pumpkins  growing  on  rose-bushes  and  roses 
on  tomato  vines.  We  should  never  know 
what  would  result  when  we  planted  our  seeds.77 

[29] 


The  Spark  of  Life 


"Peas  on  apple  trees,  and  strawberries  in 
the  potato  patch  !  "  shouted  Johnny,  and  both 
children  laughed  at  the  thought. 

"But,  father,'7  Johnny  went  on  after  a  little 
while,  "what  prevents?  I  should  think  the 
bees  might  often  carry  pollen  to  the  wrong 
flowers.77 

"Doubtless  they  do,"  said  father,  "but 
pollen  cannot  act  excepting  on  the  right 
flower.  If  the  bees  left  rose  pollen  on  a  lily, 
for  instance,  the  rose  pollen  could  do  nothing. 
It  can  unite  with  only  the  ovule  of  the  rose. 
It  would  just  wither  up  and  die  on  any  other 
flower. 7J 

"And  the  pollen  of  the  apple  can  only  join 
the  ovule  of  an  apple  blossom,  and  the  pollen 
of  the  nasturtium  only  the  nasturtium  ovule,77 
added  Johnny. 

"  Yes,77  said  his  father,  "  that  is  true.  And 
it  is  very  fortunate.  We  can  fertilize  differ- 
ent grapes  together  and  experiment  until  we 
get  almost  any  kind  of  grape  we  want.  And 
we  can  do  the  same  with  peaches,  and  any 
fruits  or  flowers,  making  each  ever  more  per- 
fect of  its  own  kind.  But  we  cannot  mix  up 
grapes  with  peaches,  or  peaches  with  apples.77 

"  I  am  glad  of  it,77  said  Molly.  "  We  want 
strawberries  to  be  strawberries,  and  roses  to 
be  roses. 7? 

[30] 


WHY  THE  BUTTERFLY  LAYS  ITS  EGGS 
ON  A  LEAF 

a"T"  OOK  at  the  seeds  growing  on  this 
leaf,"  said  Molly  one  day. 

iL  ^  "  Nonsense,"  replied  Johnny; 
"they  can't  be  seeds.  Seeds  don't  grow  on 
leaves  ;  they  grow  inside  the  flowers." 

"Well,  they  look  just  like  seeds,  anyway." 

"So  they  do,"  assented  Johnny  after  look- 
ing quite  carefully  at  the  little  green  things 
on  the  back  of  the  leaf.  "Let's  ask  father." 

So  they  ran  to  their  father  and  showed  him 
what  they  had  found. 

He  looked  carefully  and  then  said,  "These 
are  seeds — but  they  are  not  plant  seeds. 
They  are  butterfly  seeds. " 

"  Butterfly  seeds !  "  exclaimed  both  children. 

"Yes,"  father  went  on,  "butterfly  seeds. 
We  call  them  eggs,  of  course,  but  it  is  the 
same  thing." 

"  Do  they  grow  in  an  ovary  $ 7 '  Johnny  asked. 

"  Yes,'7  father  said,  "  they  grow  in  an  ovary 
inside  the  butterfly,  just  as  the  seeds  grow  in 
an  ovary  inside  the  flower.  They  are  nour- 
ished by  the  blood  of  the  butterfly  and  when 
they  are  ripe  the  butterfly  lays  them.'7 

[31] 


The  Spark  of  Life 


11  Why  does  the  butterfly  lay  its  eggs  on  a 
leaf?77  asked  Molly.  "I  should  think  it 
would  lay  them  in  a  pretty  flower  so  when 
the  little  butterfly  hatches  out  it  would  have 
a  flower  cradle  to  sleep  in. 7? 

"But  you  know,77  said  father,  "  the  butter- 
fly egg  does  not  hatch  into  a  butterfly.77 

"Oh,  I  remember,7'  said  Johnny;  "of 
course  it  hatches  into  a  little  caterpillar." 

"Yes,"  added  Molly,  " and  the  caterpillar 
eats  and  eats  and  grows  and  grows.  Its 
mother  lays  the  egg  on  just  the  kind  of  leaf 
the  little  caterpillar  will  like  to  eat  when  it 
hatches  out.77  Then  turning  to  father  she 
asked,  * '  How  does  the  butterfly  know  what  her 
little  caterpillar  baby  will  want  to  eat  ? 7? 

"Because  mothers  know  what  is  good  for 
their  children,77  said  father.  "Each  kind  of 
butterfly  lays  its  eggs  on  just  the  right  leaf. 
You  can  often  tell  what  the  little  egg  will 
hatch  into  by  the  leaf  it  is  on.  The  butter- 
fly takes  great  care  to  give  its  offspring  the 
right  environment.77 

"What  does  offspring  mean,  father  1 77  asked 
Molly. 

"It  means  children,  and  all  good  parents 
try  to  find  the  best  environment  for  their 
offspring.  That  is  why  the  big  moth  we 
watched  last  spriug  laid  its  eggs  on  the  to- 
mato vine.7' 

[32] 


The  Butterfly  s  Eggs 

"It  must  be  terrible  to  have  to  eat  tomato 
leaves,"  said  Molly,  making  a  wry  face. 

"  Not  if  you  like  them,"  said  Johnny. 

"That  caterpillar  would  find  your  breakfast 
as  uneatable  as  you  would  find  a  tomato  leaf,77 
added  father. 

"All  because  you  are  you,  and  a  caterpillar 
is  a  caterpillar,77  added  Johnny. 

"  Do  mosquitoes  lay  eggs?  "  asked  Molly, 

"Of  course,77  said  Johnny.  "Don7t  you 
remember  the  wigglers  in  the  water  barrel  1 
Well,  they  hatched  out  of  mosquito  eggs.77 

"Oh,  yes,  I  forgot,77  said  Molly,  who  was 
younger  than  Johnny  and  so  did  not  remem- 
ber quite  as  well  sometimes. 

"And  beetles  lay  eggs,77  went  on  Johnny, 
"and  so  do  flies  and  bees  and  dragon-flies. 
I  guess  every  kind  of  insect  lays  eggs. 
Doesn7tit,  father?77 

"Yes,  that  is  the  only  way  for  insects  to 
come  into  the  world.  They  must  start  as 
eggs.  And  every  kind  of  insect  knows  just 
where  to  lay  its  eggs  so  that  the  young  when 
they  hatch  out  can  get  food.  Or  else  the 
parents  bring  them  food.77 

"  Like  the  bees,77  said  Molly. 

"Yes,77  went  on  Johnny;  "the  old  bees 
feed  the  little  grubs  just  as  the  old  birds  feed 
the  baby  birds.77 

" Do  insects  inherit? 77  asked  Molly. 
[33] 


The  Spark  of  Life 


"Of  course/'  said  Johnny  5  " butterflies' 
eggs  make  butterflies,  don't  they  ?  " 

"I  didn't  mean  that.  But  do  the  butter- 
flies inherit  bright  colours  and  pretty  spots 
the  way  the  flowers  do  ?  " 

"  Yes,  indeed  they  do,"  said  father. 

"Then  if  we  kept  the  eggs  of  the  hand- 
somest and  biggest  butterflies  would  it  be  the 
same  as  gathering  the  best  flower  seeds? " 

"  It  would  be  the  same,"  said  father.  "  If 
we  could  select  the  best  seeds  of  the  finest 
butterflies  we  should  be  able  to  get  extra 
large  and  handsome  butterflies. " 

"  But  those  eggs  that  our  big  red  and  brown 
moth  laid  on  the  curtain  last  spring  did  not 
hatch  at  all,"  said  Molly. 

"That,"  answered  father,  "was  because 
they  had  not  been  fertilized.  Only  fertile 
eggs  are  able  to  hatch." 

"Do  you  mean  they  needed  pollen?"  asked 
Johnny  opening  his  eyes. 

"I  mean  just  that,"  said  father.  "  Butter- 
fly eggs  cannot  hatch  without  pollen  any  more 
than  flower  seeds  can  sprout  without  pollen. " 

"Do  they  get  it  from  the  flowers?  "  asked 
Molly. 

"Think  a  minute,"  said  father. 

"  No,  "put  in  Johnny,  "that  wouldn't  do. 
The  butterfly  that  lays  the  eggs  is  the  mother. 
So  the  father  must  be  a  butterfly  too." 
[34] 


The  Butterfly's  Eggs 

"  Perfectly  right,"  said  father.  "  It  is  just 
the  same  with  the  insects  as  with  the  flowers. 
The  eggs  must  be  fertilized  by  a  male  of  the 
same  kind.  You  remember  the  lily  could  not 
fertilize  the  rose.  Well,  the  bee's  eggs  must 
be  fertilized  by  a  bee,  and  the  fly's  eggs  by  a 
fly.  More  than  this  the  eggs  of  the  honey-bee 
must  be  fertilized  by  a  honey-bee,  those  of  a 
bumblebee  by  a  bumblebee,  your  big  ce- 
cropia  moth's  eggs  must  be  fertilized  by  a 
cecropia  moth." 

"  It  would  not  do  to  mix  them  up  any  more 
than  it  would  do  to  mix  up  the  flowers," 
added  Johnny. 

"No  indeed,7'  said  mother  who  had  just 
joined  the  trio.  "  Just  think  how  beautiful  it 
is  that  everything  is  so  well  arranged,  so  that 
our  butterflies  inherit  their  beautiful  wings 
from  the  parent  butterflies  and  our  honey-bees 
always  inherit  the  instinct  to  make  honey." 

"But  could  we  change  insects  the  way  we 
do  plants  by  cross  fertilizing  $ ' '  Johnny  wanted 
to  know. 

"Yes,"  father  replied,  "it  would  be  pos- 
sible but  very  difficult  because  insects  move 
about  so. " 

"It  has  been  done  to  a  small  extent  with 
butterflies  as  an  experiment,"    mother  went 
on,   "  but  there  is  not  enough  reason  for  doing 
it  to  make  people  take  the  trouble. " 
[35] 


The  Spark  o 


"  Insects  are  not  useful  like  flowers, "  said 
Molly. 

* 4  They  are  not  useful  to  us  in  the  same 
way, ? '  replied  father.  * '  And  it  doesn' 1  matter 
so  much  about  their  colours  because  they  fly 
about,  while  the  flowers  stay  where  we  put 
them." 

"Father,"  asked  Johnny  later,  "where  is 
the  pollen  in  the  butterfly?" 

"  It  is  inside  the  body  of  the  male  butterfly, 
just  as  the  eggs  are  inside  the  body  of  the 
female  butterfly,"  replied  father. 

"  Just  think  how  wonderful,"  mother  added  ; 
"  there  is  the  little  house  of  life  that  we  call 
the  ovary  in  each  female  butterfly.  In  this 
house  of  life  grow  the  tiny  seeds  or  eggs. 
How  marvellous  these  tiny  seeds  are !  Each 
one  of  them  can  grow  into  a  beautiful  butter- 
fly with  a  long  tongue,  six  legs,  two  big  eyes 
and  a  pair  of  wings  covered  with  tiny  bright 
coloured  scales.  How  do  you  suppose  that 
little  bit  of  an  egg  can  do  such  wonderful 
things'?'' 

"It  is  the  power  of  life,"  said  father  ;  "it 
is  God  working  through  the  little  seed." 

"But  it  cannot  grow  unless  fertilized,"  said 
Johnny.  "Nor  do  well  unless  it  has  a  good 
environment." 

"That  is  true,"  said  father,  "for  that  is 
the  law.  We  must  find  out  the  laws  of  na- 

[36] 


The  Butterfly  s  Eggs 

ture  which  are  the  laws  of  God,  and  obey 
them." 

"I  don't  see  how  its  environment  can  affect 
a  butterfly,"  said  Johnny  thoughtfully.  "It 
can  fly  where  it  pleases." 

"But  it  can't  when  it's  an  egg,"  promptly 
added  Molly.  "  It  has  to  be  laid  on  the  right 
leaf,  and  it  has  to  have  plenty  of  leaves  to  eat 
when  it  hatches." 

"Yes,"  added  father,  "and  it  must  be  in 
the  right  place  while  it  is  a  chrysalis,  not  too 
wet  or  too  dry,  for  when  the  butterfly  comes 
out  if  the  air  is  too  dry  the  bright  wings  wither 
up  instead  of  expanding." 

"How  does  the  pollen  of  the  butterfly  get 
to  the  egg  ?  "  Johnny  asked  one  day. 

"There  is  a  little  tube  connected  with  the 
tiny  house  of  life  where  the  pollen  lies,"  re-  ' 
plied  father,  "and  when  the  eggs  are  ripe  in 
the  house  of  life  in  the  female  butterfly,  then 
the  male  butterfly  sends  the  pollen  to  them  by 
means  of  this  tube,  so  that  the  eggs  are  ferti- 
lized before  they  are  laid." 

"Why  not  after  they  are  laid?"  asked 
Johnny. 

"Because,"  said  mother,  who  was^  also 
listening,  "the  surest  way  for  these  "little 
life  seeds  to  find  their  way  to  the  eggs  is  in 
the  safe  house  of  life  in  the  body  of  the  mother 
butterfly.  They  might  get  chilled  and  die  if 
[37] 


The  Spark  of  Life 


they  tried  to  find  the  eggs  after  they  had  been 
laid  on  the  leaf." 

"Is  it  the  same  with  all  insects?"  asked 
Johnny. 

"  Yes,"  said  father,  "  it  is  the  same  with  all. 
The  flies  also  mate,  as  we  say  when  the  life 
seeds  are  sent  from  the  male  house  of  life  to 
the  female  house  of  life.  It  is  the  same  with 
the  beetles  and  the  dragon-flies,  the  bees  and 
the  wasps,  and  all  insects." 

"How  does  the  butterfly  know  when  the 
€ggs  are  ripe?  "  asked  Molly. 

"  That,"  said  father,  "  is  a  part  of  the  great 
law  of  life,  a  part  of  God's  law,  that  when  the 
^ggs  are  ripe  in  their  house  of  life,  the  other 
little  life  seeds  shall  also  be  ripe  in  their  house 
of  life,-  and  the  parents  know  that  this  is  so, 
and  that  they  must  place  the  two  together. 
When  this  happens  and  the  eggs  are  fertilized 
each  egg  begins  to  grow  into  a  new  butterfly. 
This  growth  begins  in  the  mother's  house  of 
life,  as  you  well  know,  and  continues  after  the 
egg  is  laid." 

"  Is  the  flower  ovary  a  house  of  life  too  I  " 
asked  Johnny. 

"Yes,"  said  father,  "the  flower  ovary  is  a 
house  of  life,  and  the  anther  that  holds  the 
pollen  is  a  house  of  life.  Wherever  new  life 
takes  its  start,  that  is  the  house  of  life." 

[33] 


VI 

HOW  FISH  LAY  THEIR  EGGS  IN  WATER 

"  TT'^k  O  fishes  have  a  house  of  life  ?  "  asked 
•  Johnny  one  day  as  he  stood  watch- 

M  J  ing  a  goldfish  in  his  mother's  aqua- 
rium. 

"Yes,"  said  father,  "fishes  also  have  a 
house  of  life.  You  remember  the  shad  roe 
you  liked  so  much  last  spring.  That  was  the 
ovary  filled  with  fish  eggs." 

"But  not  all  the  shad  had  these  ovaries, 
had  they  ?  "  asked  Molly.  '  <  Only  some  of  them. 
Because  the  others  had  something  that  looked 
a  little  like  them,  but  different,  and  we  did 
not  eat  it.  Was  that  the  house  of  life  of  the 
male  fish?" 

"Yes,"  assented  father,  "it  was.  If  you 
could  have  examined  what  was  inside  that 
male  house  of  life  with  a  microscope  you 
would  have  found  it  filled  with  a  liquid  in 
which  was  suspended  millions  and  millions  of 
little  life  seeds. " 

"  The  pollen  of  the  fishes,"  said  Molly. 

"Yes,"  agreed  father,  "the  pollen  of  the 
fishes.  Mother,  you  tell  them  how  the  fish 
eggs  are  fertilized." 

"You  see,"  mother  replied,  "fishes  live  in 
[39] 


The  Spark  of  Life 


the  water.  Their  life  is  different  from  that  of 
land  animals,  because  their  environment  is  so 
different. " 

"  They  breathe  water  for  one  thing, "  said 
Molly. 

"  No  indeed  !  "  exclaimed  Johnny.  "  They 
breathe  air.  Father  says  all  living  things, 
plants  and  animals,  breathe  air. " 

"  But  where  do  they  get  it  ?  "  asked  Molly. 

"  There  is  always  a  little  air  mixed  in  with 
the  water — enough  for  fishes  to  breathe, "  an- 
swered Johnny  who  remembered  what  his 
father  had  once  told  him. 

"  That  is  true,"  said  mother,  "  and  if  there 
was  no  air  at  all  in  the  water  the  fishes  would 
smother.  Well,  the  female  fish  lays  her  eggs 
in  some  quiet,  safe  place  where  she  thinks  the 
young  fishes  will  have  a  good  chance  to  hatch 
out." 

"  She  gives  them  a  good  environment,"  said 
Molly. 

"Yes,"  mother  went  on;  "and  after  the 
eggs  are  laid,  the  male  fish,  who  has  kept 
close  to  her,  swims  over  them,  and  pours  out 
the  seeds  from  his  house  of  life  upon  them. 
The  fish  eggs,  unlike  those  of  the  insect,  are 
fertilized  after  they  are  laid." 

"  Why  is  that !  "  asked  Johnny. 

"Because  it  is  the  easiest  and  best  way," 
replied  mother.  "The  fertilizing  fluid  of  the 

[40] 


How  Fish  Lay  Eggs  in  Heater 

fish  is  not  too  much  chilled  by  the  water  and 
it  cannot  dry  up  in  the  water,  but  flows  over 
the  eggs,  so  that  the  little  seeds  of  life  can  find 
their  way  into  the  egg  and  fertilize  it." 

"  Sometimes, "  joined  in  father,  "  fishes 
make  nests.  The  stickleback  is  such  a  fish. 
It  makes  its  nest  in  the  grasses  in  the  water 
and  the  father  fish  stays  about  and  protects 
the  eggs  from  being  eaten  up  by  other  fish." 

' *  And  the  black  bass,  father, "  added  mother, 
"takes  care  of  his  offspring  after  they  hatch 
out.  He  goes  with  them  to  find  food,  and 
fights  for  them  against  their  enemies." 

"Do  all  fishes  care  for  their  offspring?7' 
Johnny  inquired  one  day. 

* '  JSTo,  they  dou?  t, ?  ?  answered  mother.  <  '  Most 
fishes  do  no  more  than  lay  the  eggs  in  a  good 
environment.  There  they  leave  them  to  their 
fate." 

"  Isn't  that  cruel  I  "  asked  Molly. 

"It  would  be  if  the  fishes  knew  any  better, " 
replied  father.  6  <  But  they  have  not  minds  and 
hearts  like  us.  They  are  not  able  to  love  and 
to  know.  They  follow  their  instincts  only." 

"  What  are  instincts,  father  ?  "  asked  Molly. 

"  Instinct  is  the  knowledge  animals  are  born 
with,  without  thinking.  It  is  instinct  that 
makes  the  young  animal  eat  as  soon  as  it  is 
born,  instinct  that  teaches  the  birds  to  build 
their  nests,  the  young  fishes  to  swim  and  the 

[413 


The  Spark  of  Life 


baby  quail  to  lie  perfectly  still  when  an  enemy 
approaches. " 

' '  Why  doesn'  t  instinct  make  all  the  fisheslove 
and  care  for  their  offspring  I  "  mother  asked. 

"  Because, "  answered  father,  "  the  fish  is  a 
very  simple  form  of  life  and  lays  so  many 
eggs  that  special  care  is  not  needed  in  order 
to  preserve  as  many  fishes  as  there  is  food  for 
in  the  water.  You  know  fishes  must  eat.  If 
all  fish  eggs  hatched  out  and  grew  up  there 
would  not  be  room  in  the  sea  to  hold  them, 
for  some  fishes  lay  as  many  as  a  million  eggs 
in  one  season." 

"  What  becomes  of  them  ?  "  asked  Johnny. 

"  A.  good  many  are  eaten  by  crabs  and 
fishes  and  other  animals,  a  good  many  hatch 
out  only  to  be  eaten  up  while  young." 

"That  seems  horrible,"  said  Molly. 

"But  when  you  come  to  think  of  it,  it  is 
not  horrible,"  said  father.  "You  do  not 
mind  eating  the  seeds  of  the  flowers,  the  corn 
and  wheat,  the  peas  and  beans.  Well,  the 
fishes  are  not  unlike  the  flowers.  They  scatter 
their  seeds  in  the  greatest  abundance,  only 
taking  care  to  lay  them  in  as  good  an  environ- 
ment as  they  can  find.  After  the  seeds  are 
laid  and  fertilized,  most  fishes,  like  the  flowers, 
pay  no  more  attention  to  them." 

"But  it  is  not  that  way  with  the  birds," 
said  Molly,  "and  I  am  glad  it  isn't." 

[42] 


VII 

WHY  BIRDS  GROW  INSIDE  OF  SHELLS 

"  TT   TT  OW  the  birds  seem  to  love  their  little 

I i     baby  birds,77  said  Molly  one  day. 

1  JL  u  Let's  go  and  see,  father,  what 
the  wrens  are  doing  now,77 — and  they  all  went 
to  the  back  of  the  house  where  a  pair  of  wrens 
had  built  their  nest  in  a  corner  of  the  wood- 
shed. There  sat  the  little  mother  wren  on  the 
eggs.  She  turned  a  bright  eye  upon  them  as 
they  came  close,  but  she  was  not  afraid  be- 
cause she  knew  that  they  would  not  hurt  her. 
Kear  her  the  male  bird  was  alternately  sing- 
ing and  scolding  as  he  darted  about  through 
the  tangle  of  raspberry  bushes. 

"What  a  pretty  place  for  a  nest,77  said 
mother — "so  safe,  close  to  us,  and  near  the 
window  so  that  the  little  mother  bird  can  look 
out  into  the  garden  while  she  is  brooding  the 
eggs." 

" Sometimes  the  father  bird  sits  on  them,7 > 
added  Johnny  who  had  watched  the  little  fam- 
ily with  the  greatest  care. 

"Yes,   they  take  turns,7'   father  went  on, 
"so  neither  will  get  too  tired.     It  is  weari- 
some work  for  such  active  little  creatures  to 
sit  still  so  long  at  a  time.77 
[43] 


T*he  Spark  of  Life 


"It  is  because  they  know  what  is  to  come 
out  of  those  eggs,  and  dearly  love  their  baby 
birds,77  said  mother. 

"  They  were  careful  to  find  them  a  good 
safe  environment,77  added  Johnny.  "  Do  you 
remember,  Molly,  the  mocking-birds  in  Florida 
that  spring  who  built  their  nest  way  back 
among  the  sharp  thorns  of  the  old  orange 
tree  ?  That  was  a  safe  place  !  " 

"I  should  think  so,77  exclaimed  Molly; 
"and  how  the  birds  come  up  North  every 
spring  to  build  their  nests.  Is  that  so  the 
young  ones  will  have  a  better  environment  to 
grow  in1?77 

"I  think  so,77  replied  father;  " and  they 
all  go  South  in  the  autumn  to  find  a  good  en- 
vironment in  which  to  pass  the  winter.77 

"See!77  cried  Molly.  "There  comes  Mr. 
Wren  bringing  a  fat  worm  to  his  lady  on  the 
nest.  Now  what  is  he  scolding  about  ?  Oh, 
he  sees  the  cat.  Puss  won7t  touch  you.  She 
has  been  taught  better. 77 

"  Do  you  remember  how  the  robins  chased 
that  old  cat  up  at  the  farm?77  and  Johnny 
chuckled  at  the  memory. 

"Yes,77  said  Molly,  "they  drove  him  under 
the  house  and  screamed  and  scolded  whenever 
they  saw  him.77 

"  I  wonder  how  they  dared  go  so  near  him,77 
said  Johnny  still  laughing. 
[44] 


Birds  Grow  Inside  of  Shells 


"That,"  Molly  informed  him,  "  was  because 
they  had  a  nest  in  the  apple  tree.  Parents 
forget  themselves  when  their  children  are  in 
danger.77 

"Yes,"  said  mother,  "  many  little  parents 
among  the  feathered  and  furry  folk  have  died 
to  save  their  young  ones." 

"I  suppose,77  said  Johnny,  "that  every 
bird  has  a  house  of  life.77 

"Yes,77  answered  mother;  "  the  bird,  like 
the  fishes  and  the  flowers,  has  its  wonderful 
house  of  life  where  the  seeds  of  its  race  de- 
velop.77 

"  But  the  bird7s  eggs  are  not  little,  like  the 
eggs  of  the  fishes  and  insects,  "  said  Molly. 

"At  first  they  are  as  small  as  a  fish  egg," 
replied  father.  "They  grow  in  a  little  ovary 
that  lies  inside  the  bird  near  the  backbone 
and  are  called  ovules.  When  the  time  comes 
the  ovules  ripen,  one  after  the  other.  About 
the  little  seed  of  life  there  gathers  yellow  oil 
and  food  substance  until  we  have  the  full- 
grown  yolk.  This  finds  its  way  into  the  ovi- 
duct, a  soft  tube  or  pipe  along  which  it  moves 
to  the  outer  opening  through  which  it  passes 
to  drop  into  the  nest.  But  on  the  way  through 
this  tube  there  gathers  about  the  yolk  the  part 
we  call  the  white  of  the  egg.  This,  too,  is  food 
substance.  The  young  bird,  as  you  know, 
grows  inside  the  egg-shell  and  it  needs  very 
[45  ] 


"The  Spark  of  Life 


good  food  to  grow  on.  All  this  food  is 
changed  into  the  young  bird  before  it  hatches, 
and  soon  before  the  egg  is  laid  the  shell  forms 
about  it.  The  shell  is  liquid  at  first,  but  it 
quickly  hardens  as  it  forms  about  the  egg." 

"Sometimes  the  hen's  egg  is  laid  without 
any  shell.  I  have  found  such  eggs,  soft  eggs 
the  farmer  calls  them,  in  the  hen-house, "  said 
Johnny. 

"Yes,"  added  mother,  "that  sometimes 
happens,  but  the  natural  way,  if  the  hen  has 
the  right  kind  of  food,  is  for  the  shell  to  form 
so  that  the  egg  will  be  protected  when  it  is 
laid.  Neither  the  hen  nor  any  other  bird 
could  sit  on  shelless  eggs,  you  know,  without 
breaking  them. 

"Now  about  fertilization,77  mother  went  on. 
"  When  do  you  think  that  takes  place, — before 
the  egg  is  laid,  or  after  ? 77 

"  Why,  before,77  said  Johnny  after  thinking 
a  moment. 

"Yes,"  added  Molly,  "it  would  have  to 
be  before  the  shell  formed,  I  should  think. " 

"That  is  true/7  said  mother.  "The  seeds 
of  life  grow  in  the  male  bird  just  as  the  eggs 
grow  in  the  female  bird,  and  before  the  shell  is 
formed  these  tiny  seeds  are  placed  in  the 
oviduct  where  they  find  their  way  to  the  little 
opening  in  the  eggs  that  is  there  for  them  to 
enter.  These  little  pollen  seeds  of  the  bird  can 

[46] 


TFhy  Birds  Grow  Inside  of  Shells 

move.  Under  the  microscope  they  look  a 
little  like  long-tailed  tadpoles.  They  lash  the 
tail-like  part  and  swim  about  in  the  fluid  in 
which  they  live  until  one  of  them  finds  the 
opening  into  the  egg.  When  it  enters,  the 
opening  closes.  Then  the  shell  forms,  enclos- 
ing the  two  life  seeds  and  the  egg  is  laid  in  the 
nest." 

"  The  father  bird  helps  take  care  of  the  eggs 
because  they  belong  to  him  too,"  said  Molly . 

"Yes,"  added  Johnny,  "the  little  birds 
inherit  from  him  too  ;  they  are  just  as  much  his 
as  they  are  the  mother  bird's.9' 

"  But  the  egg  is  much  larger  than  the  pollen 
seed,"  said  Molly. 

"That,77  said  father  smiling,  "doesn't  really 
matter.  What  matters  is  that  the  spark  of 
life  is  in  each,  and  that  when  the  two  become 
one,  the  young  bird  can  begin  to  form.  It 
depends  upon  one  parent  quite  as  much  as  on 
the  other,  and  the  pollen  seed  is  able  to  trans- 
mit all  the  characteristics  of  the  father  just  as 
the  tiny  ovule  transmits  those  of  the  mother." 

"  It  makes  fathers  love  their  offspring,"  said 
Molly. 

"  It  certainly  does,"  answered  father. 

"Suppose,"  said  Johnny,  "a  hen's  egg  was 
not  fertilized.  What  would  become  of  it  ?  " 

"  It  would  get  its  shell  and  be  laid  just  the 
same,"  answered  father,  "but  it  could  not 
[47] 


The  Spark  of  Life 


hatch.  People  who  raise  hens  for  eggs  some- 
times keep  no  male  bird.  The  hens  lay  j  ust 
as  well,  but  the  eggs  are  all  sterile,  which 
means  that  they  have  not  been  fertilized  and 
cannot  hatch." 

"I  think  it  is  wonderful,"  said  Molly. 

"It  is,"  said  mother.  "Just  think  what 
beautiful  creatures  develop  from  these  tiny 
seeds  of  life.  Just  think  how  all  the  birds  in 
the  world  have  been  stored  up  in  these  wonder- 
ful seeds. " 

"And  all  the  fishes  and  insects  and  about 
everything  else,77  added  Johnny. 

"And  how  these  little  seeds  of  life  remem- 
ber, each  one,  the  characteristics  of  the  parent 
whence  it  came,  even  to  the  making  of  the 
wonderful  feathers  of  the  bird  of  paradise,  the 
barred  feathers  of  the  owl,  the  bright  red  and 
yellow  feathers  of  the  parrot,'7  added  father. 

"And  the  shining  scales  of  the  fishes 
that  are  such  pretty  colours  and  show  such 
pretty  markings  under  the  microscope,7'  added 
Johnny. 

"The  perfection  of  it  all  is  amazing,77  said 
father.  "Here  are  some  pollen  grains  under 
the  microscope— just  look  and  see  how  those 
tiny  things  are  shaped  aud  marked  as  prettily 
and  as  carefully  as  sea-shells.77 

"  What  kind  of  pollen  is  it?  7?  asked  Molly 
peeping  into  the  microscope. 

[48] 


Why  Birds  Grow  Inside  of  Shells 

"  There  are  several  kinds, "  answered  father. 
"I  brushed  my  hand  across  the  flowers  as  I 
passed  through  the  garden,  and  found  it  dusted 
with  many  colours  of  pollen,  so  I  thought  I 
would  see  what  they  really  look  like.77 

"Such  pretty,  pretty  things,'7  exclaimed 
Molly.  "Does  each  flower  have  its  pollen 
grains  all  the  same  shape  ? ?  7 

"  Yes,77  said  father ;  "  we  could  tell  by  the 
appearance  of  the  pollen  grain  what  flower  it 
came  from,  if  we  knew  enough.'7 

"  And  we  can  tell  by  the  seeds  what  flowers 
they  came  from,77  added  Molly. 

"  These  seeds  of  life  that  cradle  the  races  of 
the  future  are  the  most  wonderful  things  in 
existence,  next  to  the  human  soul,77  said  father 
reverently. 

"There  is  nothing  much  more  wonderful 
than  the  bird's  egg  and  its  development,  and 
the  loving  care  taken  of  it  by  the  birds,77  said 
mother  as  the  male  wren  hopped  to  the  nest 
where  his  mate  was  sitting,  as  though  to  show 
them  how  well  he  loved  the  little  brown  mother 
bird  and  their  charming  eggs. 

"  It  is  cruel  to  take  birds7  eggs,77  said  Molly. 
"Cruel  and  hateful.  But  we  can  take  the 
hen7s  eggs  to  eat.77 

"Why  isn't  that  just  as  crueH77  asked 
Johnny.  "  The  hen  lays  eggs  in  order  to  hatch 
them,  doesn't  she?  " 

[49] 


The  Spark  of  Life 


"  Well,77  answered  father,  "  in  the  hen  you 
have  an  example  of  breeding  for  a  special  pur- 
pose. For  thousands  of  years  man  has  bred 
hens  to  lay  eggs  until  the  hen  has  become  a 
sort  of  egg-laying  machine.  Many  hens  do 
not  care  to  sit,  as  you  know.  Some  varieties 
are  great  layers  but  such  poor  sitters  that  their 
eggs  have  to  be  hatched  by  some  other  kind 
of  hen,  or  in  an  incubator.  In  those  hens  the 
brooding  instinct  has  been  destroyed.77 

"  People  bred  their  chickens  that  way  on 
purpose  to  get  eggs,77  said  Molly. 

4 '  That  is  true, "  added  father  ;  "  we  take  care 
of  the  hens  and  feed  them  the  best  of  food,  and 
they  repay  us  by  laying  eggs  for  our  use.77 

"  It  isn't  cruel  to  take  the  eggs  out  of  the 
nests  then, 77  said  Molly. 

"No,  indeed,77  replied  father,  "  it isn7t  cruel 
at  all.  When  a  hen  wants  to  sit,  we  generally 
let  her,  but  think  what  thousands  of  eggs 
would  be  wasted  if  we  did  not  take  them.77 

"  Could  birds  be  bred  to  lay  eggs?  "  asked 
Johnny,  still  watching  the  wrens. 

"I  am  sure  they  could,77  said  father,  "but 
it  wouldn7 1  pay.  If  a  bird's  eggs  are  destroyed 
the  bird  often  lays  another  set ;  sometimes  it 
may  even  lay  two  or  three  sets." 


[So] 


VIII 

HOW  PRIZE  CHICKENS  AND  FANCY 
PIGEONS  ARE  BROUGHT  ABOUT 

BEAT  oaks  from  little  acorns  grow,77 
said  Johnny  lying  on  his  back  under 
the  big  oak  one  day.and  looking  up 
into  its  branches. 

"And  a  splendid  apple  tree  from  a  little 
black  seed,"  added  Molly. 

"  But  it  seems  more  wonderful  to  me  that  a 
peacock  with  its  gorgeous  feathers  can  develop 
from  an  egg  that  is  just  a  spoonful  of  soft  stuff 
with  a  hard  shell  around  it,"  said  Johnny 
thoughtfully. 

"  The  most  beautiful  thing  about  it  to  me," 
said  mother,  "  is  that  we  can  by  selecting  the 
best  seeds  and  providing  a  good  environment 
get  better  and  better  offspring  in  both  the 
plant  and  animal  world. " 

"Did  our  white  Wyandotte  chickens  come 
from  selection  ?  ' >  inquired  Molly. 

"  Yes,"  said  father,  "it  took  long  and  care- 
ful breeding  to  get  those  beautiful  and  useful 
birds.  And  now  we  must  continue  mating  the 
finest  birds  and  selecting  the  best  eggs  laid  by 
them  to  keep  up  the  breed." 

"  Yes,"  said  mother,  "you know  how  much 


The  Spark  of  Life 


pains  father  takes  to  find  out  which  hens  lay 
the  most  eggs,  and  to  take  those  eggs  for 
hatching. " 

"Yes,  and  how  much  pains  we  all  take 
to  give  those  chickens  a  good  environment, " 
added  Johnny  with  a  sigh.  "  It  is  nothing  but 
clean  the  hen-house  and  chicken  yard,  keep 
the  water  fresh,  watch  for  cats  and  skunks  and 
foxes  and  rats,  see  that  the  rain  does  not  get 
in,  nor  draughts  blow  on  the  chickens 
at  night.  They  are  really  a  great  deal  of 
trouble." 

"  But  how  well  they  repay  us,"  added  father 
laughing.  "We  keep  fewer  hens  but  get 
many  more  eggs  and  much  better  poultry  than 
our  neighbours  whose  chickens  are  not  so  well 
cared  for  and  not  so  well  bred." 

"  Have  all  the  different  kinds  of  prize  chick- 
ens been  made  by  breeding  ? "  asked  Molly. 

"Yes,  all  of  them,'7  said  father. 

"And  the  pigeons  too,"  added  Johnny. 
"All  those  funny  fantail  and  pouter  pigeons 
and  tumblers. " 

"  Yes,  they  were  made  by  careful  breeding, " 
said  father.  "It  is  very  interesting.  You 
decide  what  kind  of  bird  you  want  to  get,  then 
you  choose  for  parents  the  two  birds  that  are 
most  like  what  you  want.  You  select  parents 
from  the  offspring  of  these  and  keep  on  select- 
ing generation  after  generation  until  you  get 

[52] 


Prize  Chickens  and  Pigeons 

just  what  you  want.  Sometimes  it  takes  a 
good  ,  while  to  get  just  what  you  planned  for, 
but  if  you  are  persevering  and  skillful  you  will 
succeed  in  time." 

1  i  But  you  would  have  to  keep  mating  birds 
that  were  closely  related,"  said  mother,  "and 
I  thought  that  cross-fertilizing  was  needful  in 
animals  as  well  as  in  plants." 

"  It  is,"  said  father,  "  and  that  is  one  reason 
why  the  very  fancy  pigeons  are  so  delicate ; 
they  have  been  too  much  in-bred  as  we  say. " 

"  Is  that  why  you  sent  away  for  a  new  rooster 
last  spring  ? ? '  asked  Johnny. 

"Yes,"  said  father.  "I  wanted  my  little 
chickens  to  be  strong  and  healthy,  and  so  I 
exchanged  one  of  our  beautiful  cocks  with  a 
friend  who  also  breeds  carefully  for  egg-laying. " 

"Why  does  it  matter  so  much  about  the 
cock?  He  doesn't  lay  eggs  anyway,"  said 
Molly. 

"Why,  Molly,"  said  Johnny  indignantly, 
"  have  you  forgotten  about  inheritance  ?  " 

"Yes,"  said  mother  soothingly,  "although 
the  cock  may  not  lay  eggs  if  he  comes  from  a 
good  egg-laying  line,  his  offspring  will  inherit 
through  him  the  egg-laying  power." 

"It  is  important  for  both  parents  to  come 
from  good  egg-laying  stock,  for  the  male  bird 
quite  as  much  as  for  the  hen,"  said  Johnny. 

"Indeed,  it  is  very  important,"  agreed 
[53] 


The  Spark  of  Life 


father.  "In  fact,  the  pedigree  of  the  male  is 
just  as  important  as  that  of  the  female  in  all 
forms  of  life." 

"  It  seems  to  me,"  said  Molly,  "  that  about 
everything  lays  eggs.  Turtles  do,  for  we  found 
some  turtle  eggs  last  year,  and  snakes  do,  but 
turtles  and  snakes  do  not  hatch  their  eggs 
themselves,  they  just  bury  them  in  the  sand 
and  leave  them  to  hatch  out  the  best  way  they 
can." 

"That,"  said  mother,  "is  because  they  are 
able  to  hatch  from  the  heat  of  the  sun.  Cold- 
blooded animals  do  not  need  to  be  kept  very 
warm  even  in  the  egg.  You  may  be  very  sure 
that  if  the  eggs  could  not  hatch  without  the 
mother's  care,  she  would  look  after  them." 

"  Progs'  eggs  hatch  out  into  tadpoles  in  the 
water,  so  I  suppose  frogs  are  cold-blooded 
animals,"  said  Johnny. 

"  They  are,"  replied  father. 

"  All  the  warm-blooded  animals,  that  is,  all 
birds  and  mammals,  take  care  of  their  young." 

<  <  Do  all  birds  1 "  asked  Johnny.  < '  I  thought 
ostriches  didn't." 

"It  is  the  rule,"  said  father,  "but  most 
rules  have  exceptions,  you  know." 


[54] 


IX 
HOW  KITTENS  START  FROM  EGGS 

" 'W  ^JT  THAT     are     mammals  t"     asked 
\  /\  I     Johnny  one  day. 

T     V  "  Mammals  are  warm-blooded 

animals   that    suckle   their  young,"  replied 
mother. 

"  Birds  are  warm-blooded,  but  they  are  not 
mammals, "  said  Molly. 

"  Come  with  me,  and  I  will  show  you  some- 
thing, "  said  father  with  a  twinkle  in  his  eye. 
So  they  all  followed  him  out  to  the  barn.  And 
there,  in  a  warm  bed  of  hay  under  the  feed 
box  in  the  manger,  they  heard  a  loud  purring. 

"It  is  Pussy  Willow!'7  whispered  Molly 
excitedly  as  she  peeped  in.  "And  oh  !  oh  I 
oh  !  there  is  a  whole  snuggle  of  little  baby 
pussies !  " 

"Do  let  me  look!"  said  Johnny  pulling 
her  arm. 

"  There  are  five,"  said  Johnny  ;  "  three  of 
them  yellow  and  white  like  Pussy  Willow,  and 
two  black  and  white  ones.  Can  I  take  one 
out !  " 

"Yes,  but  be  very  gentle,'7  said  father. 

"  Of  course,"  replied  Johnny,  and  in  a  mo- 
ment all  the  heads  were  bent  over  the  fuzzy 
[55] 


The  Spark  of  Life 


little  object  lying  in  Johnny's  hand.  "It  is 
marked  exactly  like  Pussy  Willow, "  he  said. 

"  Let  me  hold  it,"  begged  Molly. 

"  I  will  get  you  another  one,"  and  Johnny 
dived  down  into  the  manger  again  and  in  a 
moment  put  a  soft  little  bundle  of  fur  into 
Molly's  outstretched  hand. 

"How  perfectly  lovely!"  exclaimed  the 
little  girl.  "See  how  sweet  it  is — yellow  and 
white  with  black  on  its  back  and  legs.  Where 
did  the  black  colour  come  from  1  There  isn'  t  a 
bit  on  Pussy  Willow." 

"See,"  and  Johnny  drew  another  kitten 
from  the  manger  ;  ' l  here  is  one  nearly  all 
black  ;  it  has  only  white  toes  and  a  white  shirt 
front.  The  kittens  must  have  had  a  black 
father." 

"Let  me  see,"  and  Molly  looked  with  in- 
terest at  the  black  little  fellow. 

"Johnny,"  she  cried  at  length,  "do  you 
know  who  that  kitten  looks  like?" 

Johnny  laughed.  "Of  course  I  do;  it  is 
marked  just  like  black  Tom  who  lives  next 
door.  I  guess  he's  the  father  of  our  kittens." 

"You  had  better  give  them  back  to  their 
mother  now,"  said  mother.  "They  are  too 
young  to  be  handled  much." 

' '  Pussy  Willow  doesn't  care ;  hear  her  purr, ? ' 
laughed  Molly. 

"No,  she  trusts  us,"  answered  father,  "but 

[56] 


How  Kittens  Start  From  Eggs 

you  know  the  very  best  environment  for  young 
kittens  is  close  to  their  warm  little  mother, 
where  they  can  eat  and  sleep  until  they  get 
their  eyes  open." 

"  Why  aren't  kittens  born  with  their  eyes 
open? "  asked  Molly. 

"It  seenis  to  be  the  law,"  said  mother, 
"  that  young  things  shall  come  into  the  world 
only  partly  developed." 

"It  is  so  with  butterflies,"  said  Molly  5 
"  they  start  as  caterpillars." 

"And  frogs  and  lizards  start  as  pollywogs," 
added  Johnny. 

"And  kitties  are  born  blind,  and  so  are 
puppies.  But  little  calves  and  colts  are  not." 

"No,"  said  mother  ;  "the  calves  and  colts 
are  not  born  blind,  but  they  are  dependent 
upon  their  mothers  for  milk  to  keep  them 
alive,  and  for  protection  from  enemies.  You 
remember  how  Crumplehorn  gored  and  tram- 
pled the  ugly  dog  that  was  trying  to  worry  her 
calf." 

"  Yes,  and  the  white  mare  was  quite  danger- 
ous for  several  days  after  her  colt  came," 
added  Johnny.  "Even  the  farmer  did  not 
dare  go  near  her.  She  chased  everybody  out 
of  the  field." 

"  It  is  the  helplessness  of  the  little  new-born 
things  that  makes  their  mothers  love  them 
so,"  said  father.  " Love  is  the  greatest  thing 
[57] 


The  Spark  of  Life 


in  the  world,  and  these  helpless  little  creatures 
have  done  much  to  bring  love  into  the  world. " 

The  kittens  grew  fast,  and  one  day  Pussy 
Willow  brought  them,  one  at  a  time,  in  her 
mouth,  into  the  house.  The  children  were 
delighted  to  see  her  coming  holding  a  fluffy 
kitten  by  the  back  of  the  neck.  They  made 
a  warm  bed  for  her  behind  the  kitchen  stove. 

"Now,"  said  Molly,  "we  must  feed  pussy 
well ;  so  much  depends  on  good  food  to  start 
with,  you  know." 

"But  the  kittens  drink  their  mother's 
milk,'7  said  Johnny. 

"  Think  a  minute,  Johnny,"  said  father  who 
happened  to  come  in  at  the  moment.  "  Where 
does  Pussy  Willow  get  her  milk  ?  " 

"  To  be  sure,''  replied  Johnny,  "she  has  to 
eat  enough  to  make  milk  for  all  those  kittens 
as  well  as  to  keep  herself  fed.  That  is  why 
the  Smiths'  cat  that  comes  prowling  about  our 
garbage  pail  is  so  awfully  thin.  They  don't 
feed  her  and  she  has  three  or  four  scrawny 
kittens,  not  at  all  pretty  and  plump  like  our 
kits." 

"Poor  little  mother  cat,"  said  Molly.  "I 
am  going  to  put  a  dish  of  milk  out  by  the  gar- 
bage pail  every  day  for  her  ;  may  I,  mother  ?  " 

"Of  course,"  said  mother.  " It  is  cruel  to 
starve  any  mother  that  is  suckling  her  young. 
Not  only  do  the  young  ones  suffer,  but  there 

[58] 


How  Kittens  Start  From  Eggs 

is  no  hunger  so  keen  as  that  which  the  hungry 
mother  feels. " 

"  Pussy  Willow  doesn't  suffer,"  said  Molly. 
"  She's  as  sleek  as  can  be  and  the  kittens  are 
as  round  and  fat  as  butterballs." 

"They  have  a  pretty  good  environment  be- 
hind the  kitchen  stove/7  said  mother  laugh- 
ing. 

4  *  There  is  something  about  Pussy  Willow  I 
don't  understand,"  said  Johnny  as  they  were 
sitting  by  a  blazing  fire  one  cool  evening. 
"  Of  course,  I  know  that  she  too  must  have  a 
house  of  life  where  the  young  develop.  But 
how  do  they  start?  " 

"How  does  the  chicken  startT'  asked 
father;  "and  the  birds,  and  the  fishes,  the 
frogs,  the  lizards,  the  snakes,  the  insects  and 
the  turtles  f  " 

"Why,  they  start  as  eggs,  of  course,  but 
that  is  just  it ;  Pussy  Willow  doesn't  lay  eggs." 

"No,  not  exactly,  and  yet  each  of  those 
kittens  began  as  a  tiny  ovule  no  bigger  than 
a  pin-head  in  the  ovary  of  the  mother." 

"Tell  us  about  it,"  begged  Molly,  and 
father  went  on. 

"You  see  the  ovary  of  the  cat,  like  that  of 
the  bird,  connects  with  the  outer  world  by 
means  of  a  long,  soft  tube.  When  the  little 
ovule  is  ripe  it  passes  into  this  tube.  Now  if 
the  life  seeds  of  the  male  have  been  placed  in 
[59] 


The  Spark  of  Life 


the  tube  they  find  their  way  to  the  little  ovule, 
and  one  of  them  enters  it.  You  know  what 
happens  then.7' 

"  It  begins  to  develop,"  said  Johnny. 

"True,"  said  father;  "and  generally  sev- 
eral ovules  start  about  the  same  time  but  in- 
stead of  passing  at  once  out  of  the  tube,  these 
ovules  remain  within  it  and  there  continue  to 
develop." 

"I  see,"  said  Johnny.  "The  egg  of  the 
bird  is  first  laid  and  then  hatched,  while 
the  ovule  of  the  cat  hatches  before  it  is " 

"Born,"  interrupted  mother.  "  We  speak 
of  the  egg  being  laid,  and  the  kitten  being 
born,  but  it  is  really  the  same  thing.  When- 
ever the  young  life  conies  from  its  mother  into 
the  world  it  is  born." 

"And  so  our  kitties  started  as  little  eggs," 
said  Molly.  "  How  nice  it  is  that  all  animals 
start  alike.  It  makes  it  so  easy  to  remember." 

"Black  Tom,"  said  Johnny,  "  can  never 
have  any  kittens  the  way  Pussy  Willow  has 
them,  but  still  they  are  just  as  much  his  as 
hers." 

"But  he  doesn't  care  any  thing  about  them," 
said  Molly.  "  Why  doesn't  he?  " 

"Because,"  said  mother,   "he  is  a  cat,  and 

the  male  cat  does  not  care  for  his  offspring, 

although  male  cats  have  been  known  to  watch 

over  and  protect  little  kittens.     As  a  rule, 

[60] 


How  Kittens  Start  From  Eggs 

though,  they  do  not  care  for  them.     That  is  all 
left  to  the  mother.    Such  is  the  law  of  nature." 

"  Could  cats  be  bred  so  that  the  male  cat 
would  love  the  kittens  f "  asked  Johnny 
thoughtfully. 

" Undoubtedly  it  could  be  done,77  answered 
father  j  "  but  there  is  no  good  reason  for  do- 
ing it  now. " 

"But,"  said  mother,  "one  can  imagine 
what  a  beautiful  place  the  world  might  be  if 
all  living  creatures  were  bred  up  to  their  best.77 

"Do  you  know,  mother,'7  said  Johnny, 
taking  his  mother's  hand  one  day  and  laying 
his  cheek  against  it,  "I  understand  now  how 
human  beings  come  into  the  world.  The  law 
is  the  same  everywhere,  isn't  it  ?  " 

"  Yes,"  said  mother.  "  God  has  one  general 
law  that  works  through  all  life,  and  father  and 
I  have  told  you  carefully  about  the  develop- 
ment of  the  different  forms  of  life  on  purpose 
to  help  you  understand  the  great  and  wonderful 
mystery  in  the  human  life.'7 

"Well,  then,  heredity,77  said  Johnny, 
"  counts  for  a  great  deal,  doesn't  it,  father  1 77 

"For  everything.  Its  importance  cannot  be 
overestimated,77  replied  father.  "What  the 
parents  are,  that  the  children,  within  limits, 
will  be.  Every  child  born  into  the  world 
ought  to  have  a  good  inheritance  and 7  7 

"A  good  environment,7'  finished  Molly. 
[61] 


The  Spark  of  Life 


"Yes.  A  good  inheritance  and  a  good 
environment,"  repeated  father.  "It  is  the 
duty  of  every  man  and  woman  to  cultivate  a 
healthy  body  and  a  pure  mind,  for  the  sake 
of  those  who  may  be  born  from  them." 

"Even  children,"  said  mother,  "ought  to 
be  trained  so  that  they  will  make  good  parents. 
They  ought  to  love  and  respect  their  bodies, 
keep  them  clean,  and  never  do  anything  to 
defile  them.  They  never  ought  to  think  evil 
or  unclean  thoughts,  for  such  thoughts  harm 
the  body  as  well  as  the  mind." 

"Well,  I  am  going  to  try,"  said  Johnny. 

"  So  am  I,"  said  Molly.  " I  want  to  marry 
when  I  grow  up  and  have  some  beautiful 
children." 

"So  do  I,"  said  Johnny,  "and  I  am  glad 
they  will  really  belong  to  me  too.  I  am  going 
to  try  and  be  as  good  a  father  to  my  children 
as  you,  father,  have  been  to  us." 

"  And  I,"  said  Molly,  "  am  going  to  try  and 
be  as  good  a  mother  to  my  little  children  as 
you,  mother,  have  been  to  us." 

"May  God  bless  you,"  said  father  laying  a 
hand  on  the  head  of  each. 

"  Amen,"  said  mother  softly. 


Printed  in  the  United  States  of  America 
[62] 


THE  EDWARD  BOK  BOOKS  OF 

Self- Knowledge  for  Young  People  and  Parents 
Edited  by  EDWARD  BOK 

Handy  pocket  form.     Each,  limp  cloth,  net  2jc. 

The  constant  aim  of  this  graded  series  is  to  be 
anticipatory.  Each  separate  treatise  is  concise, 
lucid,  never  suggestive  beyond  the  age  limit. 

FOR   PARENTS 


1.    How  Shall  1  Tell  My  Child  ?    A  Little  Book 
for  Parents  by  Mrs.  Woodallen  Chapman. 

This,  the  first  volume  of  the  series,  has  been 
expressly  prepared  to  answer  the  question  that 
the  title  asks.  In  the  Foreword  Mr.  Bok  says  : 
"  The  order  of  the  day  is  now  distinctly  towards 
the  wise  enlightenment  of  the  child.  But  where 
this  change  of  opinion  has  come,  the  question 
has  come  with  it,  How  ?  "  Mrs.  ^Woodallen 
Chapman,  so  well  known  as  a  practical  coun- 
sellor on  all  matters  relating  to  the  child,  has 
fully  answered  this  question  in  this  concise  little 
treatise. 

FOR  BOYS 


2.    When  a  Boy  Becomes  a  Man.    A  Little  Book 
for  Boys  by  H.  Bisseker,  M.  A. 

The  second  volume  of  the  series  is  for  boys  of 
from  thirteen  to  fifteen  years  of  age.  It  is  writ- 
ten by  a  skilled  instructor  of  youth — one  who 
knows  the  boy  and  his  needs — and  revised  by 
a  body  of  medical  experts.  Every  boy  should 
know  these  facts  about  himself,  should  have  the 
explanations,  the  warnings  and  the  practical  aid 
contained  in  this  volume. 


THE  EDWARD  BOK  BOOKS  OF 
SELF-KNOWLEDGE 

FOR  YOUNG  MEN 


3.  Instead  of  Wild  Oats.    A  Little  Book  for 
the  Youth  of  Eighteen  and  Over,  by  Winfield 
Scott  Hall,  M.  D. 

Dr.  Hall's  experience  as  a  physician,  a  writer 
and  an  instructor  of  young  men  fits  him  to  write 
with  authority,  clearness  and  persuasive  power. 
Like  the  preceding  volumes  in  this  series,  this 
book  is  frank,  yet  nothing  is  said  that  will  offend. 
Parents,  teachers  and  all  interested  in  young 
men  should  welcome  this  practical  volume. 

FOR  YOUNG  CHILDREN 

4.  The  Spark  of  Life.    The  Story  of  How  Liv- 
ing Things  Came  Into  the  World.     As  Told 
for  Boys  and  Girls,  by  Margaret  W.  Morley. 

Edward  Bok  says  :  "  No  parent  can  truthfully 
say  again  :  '  No  one  has  ever  told  the  story  of 
life  simple  enough  for  a  child  to  understand.' 
For  here  it  is, — told  as  simply  and  beautifully 
as  I  have  ever  seen  it  told  anywhere." 

FOR  GIRLS 

5.  The  Changing  Girl.    A  Little  Book  for  the 
Girl  of  Ten  to  Fifteen,  by  Caroline  Latimer, 
M.  D.,  M.  A. 

Edward  Bok  says  :  '« Dr.  Latimer  makes  her 
book  a  complete  little  guide  within  the  compass 
of  her  space.  If  a  girl,  at  the  changing  period 
in  her  life,  intelligently  reads  and  remembers 
what  is  said  she  will  have  an  understanding  of 
her  physical  and  moral  self  that  will  give  her 
exactly  the  knowledge  that  every  girl  should 
have." 


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